Urban Oasis - OBW is Done!

It's finally finished!

I started this One-Block-Wonder nine months ago, but other projects kept taking priority, so it kept getting set aside.  (Click here to see my previous posts about this quilt.)

The quilting took a LONG time, but I am so happy with how it turned out.  I quilted the center spiral on my Juki TL-2010 using the walking foot and Glide thread in white.

Then I switched over to my APQS George sit-down longarm machine and quilted continuous curves in the remaining hexagons and straight-line piano keys in the border, using So Fine #50 thread in gray - all ruler work, so it took many many hours.  Now I wish I had kept track of my time...

After auditioning about a dozen different binding fabric options, I finally decided on this aqua ombre.  I love how it repeats the light aqua colors in the center of the quilt and adds an extra little zing.

I used Quilter's Dream Green batting in this quilt for the first time.  I LOVE LOVE this batting!  It quilts like butter, lays flat and smooth, has just the right amount of loft, and does not crease or shrink.

I've always used cotton batting, but disliked the crease left when the quilt had been folded for any length of time.  Bye Bye fold-lines!  I think this will become my new go-to batting in the future.

Of course, there will still be occasions to use cotton, but it's nice to have a choice, based on the project.  OH!  And the other great thing about this batting is that it's made from recycled plastic bottles!  I know, plastic doesn't sound appealing, but it really feels wonderful!  Trust me!

 Instead of using a piece of the original Skyline fabric on the back or a border, as many quilters do, I decided to print an image of the fabric panel on my quilt label instead.

I named this quilt Urban Oasis because the original busy city skyline fabric magically morphs into a tranquil gazing pool in the finished quilt.  It still amazes me that the entire center section of the quilt is created from just one fabric.  It's a "Wonder"alright!

Baby Quilt Finished

The Batik Baby Quilt is labeled, bound, and on it's way to the new baby boy.  I've done many baby quilts for this client, and she always asks for quilts that will grow with the baby into adult-hood, not too "baby-ish".  This batik quilt fits the bill.

I quilted the center with straight lines, forming an 8-pointed star in each block, and used the same curved line design in the border that I used on the last baby quilt.  All ruler work, done on my APQS George.

Christmas Quilt Final Reveal

It's done!  The first king-sized quilt I've quilted on my APQS George!  This quilt was so satisfying to work on.  I like to try different techniques on each quilt, and I sure got a lot of practice hours in on this one!

I used a free-hand all-over holly leaf design in the center of this one, but followed a diagonal grid versus the random meandering holly leaf design I used in the previous Christmas quilt (here).  I didn't count them all, but that's a lot of holly leaves.

I used a twisted rope design in the inner border, and straight lines/piano keys in the outer border.

Thanks to the Quilt Suspension System I installed, this 104" square quilt was a joy to work on.

I used a pattern called Wander Through the Woods by Hope Nelson, but I enlarged both the size and number of the trees and added borders to scale it up to a king size.

So that is the last of the quilts I committed to finishing before Christmas.  Now I can enjoy the season and start a new project.

Merry Christmas!

The Last Christmas Quilt

I've been busy quilting the last Christmas Quilt on my list for this year.  I was afraid I wouldn't get them all finished in time, but it looks like I'll have time to spare for a change!

I really don't know why I was so nervous about quilting a king-size quilt on George, because it's going really well.  I still prefer making smaller quilts, but this is very do-able on this monster of a machine.  I'm really enjoying the quilting process and if all goes well, I should finish quilting it this weekend, so check back soon for pictures of the finished quilt.

Merry & Bright

I am happy to report that the Quilt Suspension System I wrote about in my last post worked great for this large quilt!  It's amazing how much easier it is to maneuver a large quilt when the bulk of it is held out of the way with the clamps.  This quilt is 84" square, and I quilted it with an all-over freehand holly leaf design.  The quilting is very dense (used 15 bobbins) and it gives the quilt an amazing texture.  My DIL started this quilt about 10 years ago, and finally asked me to finish it for her, just to get it done.  It was a perfect opportunity to practice doing a relatively large quilt, so now I feel ready to start my next challenge - 104" square!  That's only an extra 20", right?  Piece 'o cake!!! (I hope!!!)

Quilt Suspension System

I made another change to my Quilting Setup for my APQS George machine.  I added a Quilt Suspension System behind him.

I have seen several variations of this on the internet, and since George's table is only 24" deep, there's not alot of space for a big quilt behind the machine.  That's fine on a smaller quilt, but this one is 86" square, so I thought this would be a good time to try it out.  It's amazing how much of a difference this makes!  I leave enough slack in the quilt so that it moves freely, and adjust it as I move from one area to the next.

I followed these instructions from Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry at Bryerpatch Studio.  I did not use the upright posts, since I have exposed ceiling joists above me in my basement studio, I just screwed the eye screws directly into the joists.

When this quilt is done, the next one on my list is 104" square, and now I'm confident that this system will reallly help make these big quilts more manageable.

If you are interested in trying a suspension system, but would rather purchase something ready-to-install, Patsy Thompson has two different versions available for purchase in her on-line shop.  Click here for more information.

Christmas Quilts Continued

Wow, I'm really behind on posting pictures of the Christmas Quilts I'm working on this year.

I have finished Quilt #2...  (click here for more information about this quilt)  I quilted this one on my APQS George, using an all-over spiral swirl freehand design...

...and I just finished the quilting on Christmas Quilt #3 today - on my George too, of course!  The red binding is made and ready to attach next.

I used a light aqua SoFine #50 thread and quilted it with closely spaced wavy lines going horizontally across the quilt.  I love the texture it creates.  And the snowflake fabric for the back is a great match for the quilt.

I also finished piecing the top of Christmas Quilt #4.  At 104" x 104", this quilt is a king size, so I am curious to see how it goes on my George machine.  I'm sure the machine is up to the challenge - not sure about the operator...

Christmas Quilt Finish and OBW Started

I found some spare time this holiday weekend to put my One Block Wonder blocks up on my design wall.  After many hours of rearranging them, I finally forced myself to stop and say DONE!

Every time I thought I was finished, I would find just one more block to change.  Then that move would lead to another, and another, and I realized this could go on forever.

So now I'm really finished, because I took them down in organized piles and I'm ready to sew them together.  No turning back now.  

  

There will probably be some borders added at some point, but for now I'm going to focus on sewing this section, hopefully at the quilt retreat I'm going to later this month.

While I was laying out the design, I asked myself what I'm going to do with this quilt.  I have to honestly say, I don't know.

Do I need it?  No...

Do I have a place for it?  No...

I make quilts because they make me happy.

I also finished the Christmas Star quilt this weekend.  I really love how this one turned out.  I quilted fairly tight swirls on my George sit-down machine, using pink SoFine #50 thread, which gave just the right amount of contrast against the red fabric.

Christmas Star Quilt

I finished up some other projects in the last couple of weeks that I hope to be able to share with you soon - a Memorial quilt from clothing and an art quilt that I'm entering into a juried show.  I'll share that one here once I hear if it's been accepted.

In the meantime, I'm back working on my list of Christmas quilts.  I spent Saturday night pin-basting this Christmas Star quilt...

...then I stitched all around the perimeter with my Bernina to stabilize the edge.  After all, I spent all that time pin-basting to get everything flat and straight, it just makes sense to lock down those edges now before I start quilting.  Not everyone does this, but it works for me.

I'm now just a little over half-done with the quilting on my George sit-down longarm.  I chose pink SoFine #50 thread, and I'm doing an all-over "spiral swirl thingie".  I really like how it's turning out so far.  Maybe I'll have a finished picture for you next week.

Settling in with George

I am still making little adjustments to my workspace now that George has moved in.  I have a small plastic folding table beside my left elbow to help support the bulk of my quilts while quilting, as well as my cutting table beyond that.  So my left side is perfect.  But I still had trouble with my quilt sliding off the front of the table on my right side.  Today I stumbled upon this little wooden folding table at my favorite thrift shop.

It was only $5 and it's the perfect solution.  So now I sit in the middle, with a small table on either side, so I'm surrounded by workspace.  Perfect for supporting my quilt!

And I'm happy to say that George is still behaving perfectly.  No skipped stitches, no thread breaks, just perfect stitches.  I'm a happy quilter!

Another Finish with George

My daughter-in-law pieced this quilt and asked me to quilt it for her.  I just finished it up a few days ago and it's in the mail on it's way back to her.  I'm still learning more with each quilt and love the process of quilting on George!  I  used Quilters Dream Orient batting in this one (her request) and love how soft and silky the quilt feels when it's finished.  It's a little fuzzy while I'm working on it, but that cleans up with a lint roller, so it's not really a problem.  It feels so luxurious!  The polka dot backing fabric obscures the quilting, but the texture feels amazing.

Christmas Quilts 2 & 3

I now have the second Christmas Quilt pieced and ready for quilting.

(Click here to see the first one.)

The pattern is Ballerina from Jaybird Quilts.

And I have the fabrics picked out for number three.  I started with a Mingle & Jingle fat-quarter bundle, then added several others from my stash until I had an even mix of the four colors.  Yes, I have a plan, but I'll save that for a future post.

And I'm getting more practice time in on George, as I quilt an all-over design on this quilt pieced by my DIL.

Now I'm preparing for a full-filled visit from one of my grand-daughters.  She is coming to spend a few days with us, and we have lots of fun things planned before I leave for Quilt Retreat next week.  I'm sure I'll have lots to share with you by then, so stay tuned...

Shot Cotton Stars Quilt - Finished

As promised last week, here are pictures of my latest quilt, Shot Cotton Stars.  This is the 3rd quilt that I have quilted on my new APQS George sit-down quilting machine.  While the quilting isn't very obvious on the front of the quilt, it shows up really nicely on the back.  It was a great opportunity for me to practice my free-motion quilting, and I'm really happy with the results.

It measures 38" x 54", and I used Quilter's Dream Black Poly batting and So Fine #50 thread 

in a medium taupe brown to match the backing fabric.